Falling for a Marauder
by Indicate
Summary: When Persephone 'Penny' Bennett falls for the rebel Sirius Black, it can never be good. But with James Potter and Severus Snape chasing her best friend Lily Evans, romance is sure to blossom.
1. Prologue

It wasn't exactly easy to admit to anyone. It sounded a little silly actually.

Part of me just wanted to blurt it out to Lily Evans, my best friend.

But the other part had more sense than that, and could almost see her brilliant emerald eyes, looking at me with surprise and a hint of scorn.

She would never understand. I don't think any of my friends would.

They would console me with words of comfort if he turned me down, but inside be thinking that it would never last; the class rebel, and I.

Because, it's not every day that you admit you are in love with Sirius Black.


	2. Chapter One

When I woke up on the morning of August the thirty first, excitement and fear churned through my body. Tomorrow, I would be returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for my fifth school year. And I would see him; Sirius Black. I let out a little squeal of excitement, which was enough to wake up my dear friend Lily Evans, who was sleeping on the spare bed next to mine.

She had come over to stay with me until the start of term a week ago, and we had never stopped talking since. It's amazing how much gossip there is to tell, even after a mere five weeks apart.

Lily stretched and yawned, then stared at me through her almond shaped eyes, a smile on her lips. "Good morning Penny!" She said brightly, sitting up in bed. "Good sleep?" I nodded and smiled, sitting up also.

"So, what's the plan for today then?" I asked Lily. She opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment there was a tapping sound outside the window. She shot out of bed and tore the curtains apart and opened the window with vigour. The owl, a rather magnificent and sleek black one, did one circuit around the room before dropping its letter on Lily's bed and soaring out through the window.

My heart sank a little. Every time Lily received a letter, I hoped it was for me, from Sirius. But it never was. I was kidding myself; he didn't even like me. Not in the way I wanted him to anyway.

"So, what's Sev's opinion on the world today?" I smirked, watching Lily blush as she read the letter. "How do you even know it's from Severus?" She asked me, eyes narrowed slightly above the piece of parchment that covered the rest of her face. "Oh, just a hint of telepathy, and the fact that he's written to you at least twice a day since you've gotten here." Another blush flushed her cheeks.

"He really likes you, you know," I said, putting my hands behind my head and leaning back. "More than he should." Lily's face turned an even darker shade of red and she folded the letter and put it into her pocket. "And what would you know about that? In fact, what has it got to do with you?" She snapped, standing up and picking out some clothes from her drawer, then storming out of the room to the bathroom, slamming the door shut in the process.

I lay on my bed, thinking about what she had said. She was right, what did I know about relationships? I hadn't had one boyfriend. My mind turned to Sirius, the rebel who entranced so many girls, including myself. I sighed deeply, before getting out of bed and opening my wardrobe. I picked out some dark blue muggle jeans and a loose shirt to wear, then shot a longing look at my Hogwarts robes, just hanging there, waiting for tomorrow.

I removed my pyjamas and replaced them with my underwear, then added my clothes on top. I then turned to the full length mirror and surveyed myself. My hair is a very light blonde which is strangely natural, unless my mother injected hair dye into me when I was in her womb. I don't think she did. That would be really idiotic. My eyes aren't as magnificent as Lily's, not in my opinion anyway. While hers shine like emeralds, mine are a mix of both blue and grey, and they're rimmed with long black eyelashes.

I wondered what Sirius looked for in a girl's face? He had dated so many girls; it was hard to keep track of them. I shook myself. I had to stop thinking about him, I was getting obsessed; like Severus with Lily. Chuckling to myself, I tugged my hair into two low bunches, and smiled to my reflection, who grinned back like a buffoon.

My stomach rumbled, and I pelted down the stairs, the sweet smell of eggs and bacon drifting up through my nostrils. When I reached the kitchen, my mother greeted me. "Hello darling, good sleep?" My mother is a rather plump, but jolly person, whom I love dearly. I nodded, but soon started to savage my bacon and egg sandwich, warmth spreading through me. When I finished, I looked to my father, who was reading the daily prophet, a content look on his face. My dad is a man of few words. "Where's Lily?" I asked suddenly, remembering my guest. "Oh, she went outside just before you came down," said my mum, turning around from washing the dishes, plate and tea towel in hand. "She seemed rather upset to me."

At this, I got up from the table and headed outside. Our garden is quite a large open space, with a lot of trees and great hiding areas. But I knew where Lily would be immediately. I headed towards the cherry tree, spotting a red head and feeling triumphant. The cherry tree was where I and Lily would always sit in the summers that she stayed at mine.

Lily was writing a letter, and although I had a strong feeling whom it was to, I kept my mouth shut. I don't think she realized how much it actually hurt me that she was writing to Snape when she had me here; wasn't I good enough for her? I sat down on the long green grass and waited for her to sign her long swirling signature. I had no idea what we were going to talk about. I felt bad for mocking her actually. "I'm really sorry," I blurted out, breaking the awkward silence, just at the same time as her.

We both laughed at the awkwardness, and then smiled. "I am really sorry you know, for writing to Sev all the time, and ignoring you," Lily's smile drooped a little. "I'm just afraid of losing him." She paused, and I blinked. "Losing him?" I repeated. "Yes. Over the last few years, he's changed. He's devoted to the Dark Arts. I want to try to change him back." A single tear fell from her eyes, and I wiped it away with my sleeve. "I feel so bad Penny. I really do. You're always there for me, and I've been neglecting you." Lily suddenly hugged me, and I hugged her back; her words had made me feel so much better.

It made me feel as if everything was going to be just fine.


	3. Chapter Two

"Hurry up Penny, we're going to be late!" My older brother Lucas called to me from down the stairs. "You don't want us to miss the train do you?" I scanned my eyes around the room, finding the item I was missing almost immediately. I grabbed my wand and clutched it to my chest. How could I have not packed it? I flung it into my carry-on bag along with my other essentials.

Then I pelted down the stairs and into the car, where my family and Lily were waiting. As soon as I slammed the door, the car lurched into motion, making my stomach churn. "You're always late!" My mother moaned from the front seat. "Can't you prepare the night before?" I rolled my eyes, and then rested my head against my seat.

An hour later, we were storming out of the car, my dad and Lucas dragging the three trunks, and leaving my mum, Lily and me to grab the pets. Lily has a cat, a Siamese beauty known as Kite. Lucas has a rat, a fluffy male called Rupert. I have an owl, whom I love very much. She's a barn owl called Verity, and her feathers are very soft to touch.

We were soon running towards platform nine and three quarters, oblivious to the muggles hurrying by to catch their trains. The sensation of it never got old. Still carrying Verity in her cage, I jetted straight towards the Hogwarts express, and peeked in through the window of a particular compartment. My eyes fell on four boys, chatting happily, without a care in the world. I knocked on the window and leant on the sill, watching as Remus opened the window. "You wouldn't mind if Lily and I sat with you would you?" I asked as soon as the window was fully open. "Almost everywhere else is full." James gave an arrogant smile and ruffled his hair. "Anything for my Lily."

I rolled my eyes but laughed, and beckoned my dad over. After a few minutes, together with the Marauders we managed to push mine and Lily's trunks into the compartment. I hugged my parents goodbye, and then boarded the train with Lily, who seemed less than happy with the seating arrangements.

As we walked into the compartment, we received warm smiles from all of the Marauders; arrogant and sporty James Potter, quiet and thoughtful Remus Lupin, chubby and slightly slow Peter Pettigrew and the dashing Sirius Black. Remus and James were the ones nearest to the door on either side of the compartment. Sirius was sat next to James, and Peter was next to Remus.

I took the seat nearest to the window, which meant sitting next to Sirius, much to my delight, and Lily sat opposite me, glaring in the direction of James. "Good holiday, Lily love?" James smirked with his usual arrogance. "Shut up Potter," Lily snapped, her cheeks reddening. Sensing a natural disaster, I looked to Remus, who was twirling a blue prefect badge between his fingers. "Oh, so you're a Prefect too Remus?" I said, smiling. He looked up, startled. "Yes, I am." I nodded towards Lily, "Lily is the other Gryffindor prefect."

Peter looked up from one of the sandwiches he was scoffing. "That means you and Lily will be spending a lot of time together hey Mo- Remus."

James's face had a look of absolute jealousy, though he was trying to hide it. "Well done, both of you." He forced a smile and I had to turn away to hide the laughter. For an hour I gazed out of the window, enjoying the scenery. But I was transported back into reality when someone dropped a small pile of goodies onto my lap. It was Lily. "Thought you might be hungry," She grinned. I laughed, and tore open a chocolate frog, biting off its head. "Oooh," I said as I swallowed. "Helga Hufflepuff." My eyes fell on the pretty blonde woman who was waving at me from the card. "I haven't got this one." Sirius looked up from his card. "Anyone want a Dumbledore one? I've got nine."

The remainder of the journey passed really quickly, with toads escaping, cards being swapped, changing into school robes and jokes being told. I was a little sad as the train juddered to a halt, but the sadness was overpowered by the joy of being back at Hogwarts. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily and I all squeezed into a carriage, but the journey was held in companionable silence as we all waited for the spectacular view of Hogwarts.

Just before we rounded one corner we heard excited gasps from carriages in front of us, and we all exchanged looks of anticipation. There in front of us was the most beautiful sight in the world. Even from a distance away you could see the turrets and towers of the Hogwarts castle, the windows alight. I smiled. I was home.


	4. Chapter Three

I had to admit, the sorting was one of my favourite parts of being back at Hogwarts. I watched, squashed between Lily and Remus, as the first years who seemed so tiny nervously awaited their turn on the beautifully crafted oak stool.

The first new student to be sorted was Lucy Anderson, a girl with dark brown hair who strolled confidently up to the stool. As soon as the hat was placed on her head, it screamed: "SLYTHERIN!"

A cheer went up from the table the furthest away from us, and I detected some booing coming from our depths, though it was stifled at once due to a glare from McGonagall.

Despite it being one of my favourite parts of being at Hogwarts, I did tune out for a little while. There seemed to be no shortage in Slytherins, and there were a fair few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, but we were more than halfway through the alphabet when we got our first Gryffindor.

Silvia Presley, a pretty little first year with almost white hair walked nervously up to our table to a deafening roar of sound. Two more first years followed soon after her; two twins named Louis and Anthony Sanders, who seemed relieved to have each other. "We usually have a lot more first years than three," I whispered, to Lily and Remus, watching as the second to last first year became a Ravenclaw. "I know," Remus whispered back, frowning at the Slytherin table. "They have about fifteen; nine boys and six girls. They're going to have to expand the dormitories if theirs have the same amount of beds as ours."

Now all of the Gryffindors, especially Silvia Presley, who was facing the daunting prospect of being alone in a dormitory, watched as Bea Wright padded towards the sorting hat. McGonagall dropped the hat onto her head, and you could almost tell in her eyes that she wanted Bea to be a Gryffindor.

The sorting hat seemed to find Bea difficult to sort, but after a moment's thought, the rip just above the brim opened and he yelled for everyone to hear; "GRYFFINDOR!"

Yet again our table erupted like a volcano, but my eyes fell on Silvia, who as she smiled and shuffled up the bench to make room for Bea was looking extremely relieved.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak to us, but before he could, a voice from the front of the hall began to talk. "Welcome to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry to all of our newcomers! And greetings to the rest of you." Dumbledore chuckled as he said this, and it brought a smile to my face as well. "There are just a few notices before we can start our marvellous feast. Yet again, I ask all students to stay away from the Forbidden Forest and our lovely Whomping Willow."

I noticed that Peter's gaze strayed to Remus for a moment, but it was soon diverted by an elbow in the ribs from James. I found this puzzling, but didn't take much notice, and looked back at Dumbledore.

"Also, Mr Filch would like me to remind you that he keeps the chains in his office well oiled. Although I still object to them." Dumbledore chuckled, but he was the only one who did. "And a last few words; treacle, jockey, gloze and avoy!"

As soon as the last odd word fell from the headmaster's mouth, the sparkling serving trays were filled with delicious food. There was something for everyone; sausage rolls, chicken, sandwiches, shepherd's pie, lasagne and much more. After we all had filled ourselves with third courses, in Peter's case it was eight, the tables refilled themselves, but this time it was with delicious desserts, including jelly, many kinds of cake, éclairs and the usual lemon sherbets.

"Ugh," I groaned, leaning back and almost falling off the bench. "I don't think I can eat again, ever." Lily laughed, but as she saw some Hufflepuff first years being lead out of the hall, she leapt up off the bench. "Oh my goodness Remus, we have to take the first years to the dorm! Come on!" She yanked him away by the wrist, towards the four huddled first years that were looking around anxiously.

"Do you think they're going to be okay?" I asked Sirius, James and Peter, as I looked over my shoulder at Lily ushering the four new students out with a slightly creepy grin. "Who, the first years? No." Sirius grinned. As we laughed, two people slipped into the empty seats. I looked to my left and saw Sami Swift, the kind, caring Hufflepuff, whose blue eyes gave Dumbledore's a run for their money. And on my right was Holly Green, the intelligent and hilarious Ravenclaw who always seemed to be there for me in my times of need.

"So, I just saw Remus going off with Lily," Holly piped up after everyone had exchanged greetings. "Are you jealous Jamie?"

James gritted his teeth as I and Sami snickered. "I told you," He growled, sending a death glare in Holly's direction. "Don't call me Jamie. And no, I am not jealous."

Flicking her long dark blonde hair back from her eyes, she picked up a lemon sherbet and popped it into her mouth. "Your red face begs to differ darling."

From the start of our time at Hogwarts, Holly made it her life mission to annoy James as much as she could. It's not that she doesn't like him, she just finds him the easiest person ever to wind up.

James groaned and hit his head on the table and Holly gave a triumphant laugh. "Hey Sami," I said, turning to my left, a questioning look on my face. "Where's Mariah?" I was inquiring after our her auburn haired best friend, who was also in Hufflepuff.

"You know," Sami said, concern leaking onto her face. "I actually have no idea. I looked everywhere on the train this morning and I couldn't find her. I better go check actually." I hugged her as she stood up from the table and watched her turn towards the kitchens as she left the Great Hall.

"There was a lot of Slytherins to be sorted today, wasn't there?" Holly spoke up after an awkward pause. "It's slightly fishy. Do you think the sorting hat could be biased?"

Sirius was frowning as he shook his head. "No, it couldn't have been biased. It's probably just a lot of sly minds. How many Ravenclaws were sorted Holly?"

Her forehead creased as she thought. "There were six I think. Four girls and two lads. And Sami told me that there were only five Huffies."

"Remus counted about fifteen slytherins. And we got four, so that's forty all together, it adds up."

James yawned and stretched, while Peter failed to stifle a large burp. I exchanged a disgusted look with Holly. "We better get off to bed then, we can discuss it more tomorrow."

We walked up the grand marble staircase with Holly until we had to part ways, promising to talk tomorrow. The stroll towards the fat lady was a peaceful one, until Peter's stomach rumbled, which really puzzled me, since he had eaten about a quarter of the Gryffindor feast.

"Password?" Inquired the elegant woman in the silk pink dress, and my stomach sank. "Well, wasn't it kind of Remus and Lily, our intelligent prefects to share with us the password?"

A clock struck eight times from somewhere deep in the castle, and Sirius and I gave matching groans. "Dolts." I muttered as I leant against the wall and sank down to the floor.

"Look, can't you just let us in?" Sirius pleaded. "You know us; you've known us for five years. Do you really want Gryffindor to lose five hundred points just because some students were out of bed?" The fat lady gave him a defiant stare. "That's not how it works Mr. Black."

James gave an exasperated sigh and slumped against the wall next to me. "This is going badly wrong."

Just then the portrait hole opened, and I shot up from the floor and through it, crashing straight into Remus and almost falling back with a scream. "So that's where you were." Remus laughed as he steadied me.

"It's your fault." I growled as we all surged up the stairs. The common room was almost deserted, but in the dying firelight you could still make out the comfy round chairs and shining oak tables. There only seemed to be two people left other than us; Lily and Mary Macdonald.

I can't describe how much I hate Mary. She's tried to steal Lily from me ever since I first made friends with her. It's probably because she is incapable of finding a companion herself.

"Oh _hi_ Persephone!" She drawled, rushing up to me and hugging me. "I was wondering where you were." She then turned to Sirius and began batting her eyelashes madly as if there was something in her eye.

Oh yeah! Another reason why I hate that little git. She's always flirting with Sirius.

"Shall we get off to bed?" Lily asked, linking arms with me. "Yes we shall," James purred, linking arms with her. I burst out laughing, and received a glare from Lily in the process.

"Pervert!" She shrieked, shaking him off her and dragging me to the stairs, just giving me time to wave to the boys, while Mary trailed after us.

"You've got to admit Lily," I said, sinking onto my bed as Mary closed the door. "That was hilarious." "Not for me!" She fumed, pulling the curtains around her bed without so much as a goodnight.

I gave Mary a nod instead of saying goodnight, and pulled my own curtains to get changed. As I emerged, fully dressed, I looked out of the window for a moment, the red and gold of the sky matching our dorm.

Snuggling into bed, I sighed and my mind fell onto what might happen in the year ahead.

I smiled.

Severus examined himself in the mirror, scrutinizing every feature, every blemish. Was it his hair; would she rather he cut it? Cut it in the style of that unbearable Potter's? Or maybe it was his nose; was it too big, too crooked?

But his thoughts were interrupted, from a stirring in the bed next to him. He hastily covered his lit wand with his pillow, but it was too late.

"Severus?" Came a sleepy voice from the bed next to him. Another wand was lit and he heard the noise of feet slipping out of bed.

Severus sighed and removed his wand from under the pillow using it to light up the face of Jason Tilsley. Jason's golden eyes showed a hint of concern, not something you'd usually see on any part of a Slytherin, unless it was for themselves.

From the self pitying look on Severus's face, Jason could tell who he was thinking about. "You're kidding me," He said, his eyes narrowed. "Obsessing over that Mudblood once again?"

The greasy haired boy gritted his teeth and fixed a glare in his friend's direction. "Don't you call her that." He hissed.

A cruel cold laugh came from Jason's lips, making someone in another bed stir. The pair's hearts leapt, but the occupant of that bed carried on sleeping.

"But you could do so much better." Jason whispered, eyebrows raised. "With a mind like yours, you're on a sure path to becoming one of the Dark Lord's followers. The curses you have made already, you, a fifteen year old boy, challenge those of that oaf Dumbledore!"

Severus wasn't about to admit to Jason that he didn't want anyone else; Lily would be fine. But he didn't need to admit it; Jason seemed to be able to tell.

"Isn't it any consolation that she hates Potter?" He said in a softer tone. "She much prefers you." Yawning, Jason seemed to think this was enough. As he flicked his light brown hair out of his eyes, a question seemed to form in his head.

"That Penny," He said in a tone that made Severus look up. "She's a pureblood right?"

But he didn't wait for an answer, and settled back down into his bed before putting out his wand. "Night Severus. _Nox_."

Severus stared at himself in the mirror for a while longer, but the chat with Jason had eased him a little. He put out his own wand and leant back onto his pillow.

His last thought of that night was of a girl. A girl with the shiniest auburn hair. A girl whose eyes sparkled like the sun gleaming down on water. A girl who could make his heart race by just saying his name.

"Night."


	5. Chapter Four

At breakfast that next morning, everyone was chatting excitedly about what had happened in their holidays. "I went to Italy!" Peter chirped. "They have a lot of great restaurants there!"

Sirius raised his eyebrows and swallowed his toast. "Don't you mean they had a lot of great restaurants? You ate them out right?"

Our laughter was short lived as Professor McGonagall soon turned up with our schedules.

James and Peter both had Divination first, one of their favourite subjects because it was terribly easy, even though James is extremely clever. Their Divination lesson was with the Hufflepuffs, which caused me to look over to Hufflepuff table, relieved to see both Mariah and Sami there.

Remus, Lily and Mary had Ancient Runes first with the Ravenclaws, including Holly.

I had Muggle Studies with Sirius. While I was actually interested in Muggles, coming from a pure blood family, my fellow pure blood Sirius was just taking the class to annoy his parents.

I scoffed as I looked at who we had Muggle Studies with. Lily looked up from her cereal bowl. "What?" "We have Muggle Studies with the _Slytherins._ Do any of them even take that class?" Sirius grinned. "I guess we'll see."

Fifteen minutes later Sirius and I were standing outside our classroom on the sixth floor alone. It must have been because I kept constantly looking around that Sirius spoke up. "Don't be so surprised." He said, leaning against the wall. "If my family is anything to go by, all Slytherins are pureblood supremacists."

"You can't talk, you filthy blood-traitor." I almost leapt out of my skin as a sneering voice echoed down the almost empty hallway, followed by footsteps.

I groaned as Jason Tilsley swaggered into view. "What are you doing here?" Sirius said sharply, taking a step towards Jason. "My mother," Said the Slytherin in a tone of absolute loathing, "Didn't like what I did to a muggle in our village. She forced me into taking this class and Dumbledore himself is monitoring my attendance."

I was shocked that he wasn't more concerned about it.

But I didn't have time to say anything else, for as soon as I opened my mouth the door to our classroom opened and Professor Walters beckoned us in.

This classroom was very different from every other classroom in the entire school. It was an exact replica of a Muggle Student's classroom, with beige carpeting and the walls covered in posters with people's school work. There was a clean and sparkling whiteboard at the front of the class next to the teacher's desk on which lay many papers, and on top of them all a gleaming red apple.

Sirius and I took one of the coloured desks at the front, while Jason dumped his bag on one of the tables at the very back.

Just as he made to sit down, Professor Walters spotted him. "Oh, Jason, isn't it? Come sit at the front with the others dear."

Reluctantly, Jason flicked his dark blonde hair out of his eyes and slowly walked up to the front. As he scraped out his chair, Professor Walters smiled at us. "Well, this is my smallest class yet." She laughed, pushing her glasses further up her nose. "Anyway, this term we'll be covering muggle technology. Things like televisions, music players and computers."

Having studied a lot over the holidays, I knew what all of these things were, and a slight glance to my left showed me that Sirius had a vague idea too. But Jason had a bemused look on his face.

The lesson zoomed by, and it was quite fun too. Today Professor Walters had brought in iPods, strange little devices that played music to whoever put them in their ears.

When Jason turned his on, he almost leapt out of his skin. "That's a tale to tell the others." Sirius whispered in my ear as I surfed through the songs. I sniggered and received a glare from Jason. "This is going to be a long year." I whispered to Sirius.

After that lesson I parted ways with Sirius, and headed off to Arithmancy; with Jason in tow. "How come I have all these lessons with you? You'd have thought Dumbledore would have had more sense than to put the Slytherins and the Gryffindor's together." He moaned as we headed down to the fourth floor. "I'm not exactly the happiest Hippogriff in the hut." "Hippogriffs don't even live in huts." Jason snapped as we searched for our class.

Somewhere in the depths of the castle a bell rang, and I stopped walking, making Jason walk into me. I stumbled forward, bracing myself for the fall. But it didn't come.

Jason had grabbed my waist, preventing me from falling flat on my face. He span me around to face him, his hands still in position. My heart started racing as my eyes found his and I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. "_What are you doing? " _Asked the one sane voice in my head.

He moved his hands and I subconsciously took a step back from him. "Clumsy oaf." He muttered and turned away. But not before I saw the flush on his cheeks.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, but we found the class soon enough, and we were surprised to see that not everyone was there yet. "Sorry I'm late Professor," I said to Professor Obtuse, who merely nodded.

I knew that Lily was in this class, so I looked around for her. I was mildly shocked to see her sitting next to Severus, deep in conversation at the very back. By the looks of things, so was Jason, who was good friends with Severus.

As his head turned towards me, I looked away quickly, cracking my neck in the process. There was no way I was sitting next to Jason. _No_ way.

I needn't have worried, because at the next moment someone tapped my back. Remus had just arrived. "Want to sit with me? James, Sirius and Peter have a free period." Filled with relief, I nodded, and we chose a desk in the middle.

But I couldn't concentrate that lesson. My gaze kept straying towards Jason; once or twice our eyes met and the blood rushed to my head again. I tried my hardest to keep track of the shapes, numbers and angles that were Arithmancy, but I just couldn't. I thanked God that I had Remus to help me.

The next period that we had was our free one, so Remus, Lily and I headed back up to Gryffindor tower. I sighed and threw myself into my favourite velvet red armchair. With maybe a little too much force. Next moment, laughter was coming from Lily and Remus, and I found myself on the floor.

Grumbling, I put the chair upright. "At least Mary isn't here." I said to them, looking around the deserted common room. I had spoken too soon. "Hi guys!" Came an annoying high-pitched voice from the direction of the portrait hole, and soon Mary was skipping up the steps.

"Is it Friday the thirteenth?" I hissed to Remus. "Because I'm feeling very unlucky."

Lunch was next, which I was very happy about, since I was starving. As I made to sit next to Lily, Mary pushed in between us, smiling sweetly. This was another time I wished I could slap her without getting punished.

Soon the rest of the Marauders joined us, and we were all chattering excitedly about our next lesson; Care of Magical Creatures. The only one who didn't take this class with us was Mary, so we bid a gleeful farewell to her. At least I did.

As we made our way down to the edge of the forbidden forest, James and Sirius telling awful jokes, I was glad to have no reason to think of Jason. But I was reminded cruelly just as we reached the trees.

Someone snuck up behind me and placed their hands over my eyes. "Guess who!" For one second, I thought of Jason, but the voice was too feminine for him. "Holly!" I said happily, remembering we had Care of Magical Creatures with the Ravenclaws. Holly removed her hands from my eyes and stepped round next to me.

"This lesson is going to be fun, I can tell. Oh hello, Jamie!" James groaned as Holly greeted him in her usual way. "Yeah," I said quietly. "This should be fun."


	6. Chapter Five

When Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, arrived, she was looking very excited. "Good afternoon everyone!" she beamed around at the class. "Today we have a very interesting lesson."

"It's true!" Holly cried, making several people jump. "I'm psychic! I knew it was going to be fun! Just call me Sybill and appoint me as the Divination teacher!" The entire class laughed, even the Professor.

"Alright class, and Sybill," Holly bowed. "Follow me." Professor Kettleburn started into the Forbidden Forest, and we all followed her in single file. Excited murmuring came from every part of the line.

After a walk that lasted fifteen minutes we reached a clearing where we could rest our bramble scratched legs. We all sat down on the grass while the Professor rubbed her hands together excitedly as she stood at the front.

"What I am showing you today isn't just something you'll see once and then never see again." She said, her eyes twinkling. "These creatures are things that you can actually keep." The class gasped as one, and the excited whispering started again.

"Now, because there are so many of them, and they're all different, the Ministry of Magic couldn't decide on a name for them. So their name is basically, the Nameless. I'll show you some first, so I can explain. All of you shuffle back a little."

We all scooted back and watched eagerly as the Professor got out her wand. Making a simple flicking movement and closing her eyes, she said; "Venite Nomine!"

Out of her wand came a series of colours and twinking little stars. We all watched in amazement as the colours and stars floated up into the sky, swirled around for a moment, and then disappeared.

There was silence for a moment as we waited with baited breath. Then suddenly, there came a noise from behind the Professor. A horse with a vibrant orange body and a raging mane that appeared to be made of flames came to a halt beside her. The next moment, an owl with an icy appearance swept onto her shoulder, dusting her cheek with frost.

"As you can see," Kettleburn said as she stroked the horse's back gently. "The Nameless can be summoned by a simple incantation. If a nearby Nameless senses a connection with you, then it will approach you and ask you to be its master."

A rustling came from one of the bushes behind her, and out came a little kitten with very bright yellow fur which stood on end, crackling with electricity.

"Now, you can tell if a Nameless wants to join you because it puts its paw out. Or wing or hoof." As if on cue, the kitten stood on its hind legs and put out its left paw, making several people in the audience coo. "And to accept it, you take its paw." Kettleburn bent down and she shook its paw.  
>"I don't think any of you would like to reject any Nameless, so I will only tell you how to reject one if you ask me personally."<p>

Lily's hand shot into the air. "Professor! These Nameless, they represent an element or something don't they? Like that kitten is electricity."

Kettleburn, still smiling, nodded. "Exactly Miss Evans! The five most common types of Nameless represent fire, electricity, earth, water and ice. There are many other types of Nameless, but they are very rare and hard to find. Also, Nameless come in all kinds of animals. I know someone with a lion Nameless and a Hippogriff Nameless. All Nameless are different as well, you'll never get one exactly the same, although there is always a male and female version of each Nameless."

Looking around at our excited faces, Kettleburn laughed. "And answering the unspoken questions, yes I will let you try to get your own Nameless this lesson, but don't be too disappointed if you don't get one; keep trying! New Nameless come and go every day."

"Now, before we get started, Potter, can you hand these out for me?" James shot up and took the pamphlets from the Professor's hands. "Now," She said, as James started handing them out. "This pamphlet will tell you of the many different elements and other things that your Nameless could be. It will also help you care for your creature. Seeing as they come and go as they please however, they don't need much care."

As I took the leaflet from James, it changed colour and sizzled. A look around showed me that it was happening to everyone. My eyes fell back on the leaflet, and I was slightly surprised to see my name there on the front cover. "A simple charm so that you will always know which is yours." The Professor said in a light tone.

Kettleburn gave us a few minutes to read the leaflets, and it was spent in silence. There were many moving photos of the Nameless, and I quickly found a favourite; an icy white eagle with stunning blue eyes.

Then I turned it over and saw the list of Nameless types. Like Kettleburn had mentioned, there were the five common types; fire, ice, earth, water and electricity. But then there were the uncommon types, followed by the rare, and then the legendary.

"I like the look of this type." Lily said as she traced her finger over the 'Star' type in the rare category. "To be honest, I'd be happy with anything." Sirius mumbled as he admired the uncommon 'Spotted' type.

"Right you lot!" Kettleburn clapped her hands and we all looked up eagerly. "I'll split you into two groups to go one after the other. There's no need to worry, you'll all definitely get a turn!"

All of the Ravenclaws but Holly, and James and Peter were put into the first group, while Holly, Lily, Sirius, Remus and I were to go second.

The first group practiced a few swishing movements, then shouted the incantation; "Venite Nomine!" We all waited with baited breath, but nothing happened. "No worry guys, it's extremely rare to get a Nameless on the first try."

They tried and tried, and finally on the fifth go, stars erupted from the wand of a Ravenclaw. We gasped as they shot into the air, her hand trembling. Suddenly, a small dark shadow fell on the group. Next moment, an owl had landed on her arm, nipping her fingers affectionately.

Kettleburn hurried over, looking excited. "Well done Miss Lewis!" She said enthusiastically, stroking the owl's feathers. The feathers were a light blue colour, and when stroked they seemed to ripple. "This is obviously a water owl Nameless, and by the looks of it," She lifted the owl's claw, where a female sign was printed. "Female."

"Is that how you tell Professor? Do males have the male sign?" Lily asked, and the Professor nodded. We all watched in admiration as the Ravenclaw shook the owl's wing, a look of bliss on her face.

"Now the second group, your turn!"

We all hurried forwards as the first group turned back, our palms sweating and hearts racing. "Swish and flick!" Kettleburn barked, and we all did the wand movement. "Now the incantation!"

"_VENITE NOMINE!"_

Just like with the last group, nothing happened on our first try, to our displeasure. We tried again and the result was the same; nothing.

But on our third try, something changed.

The ground started shaking as if there was an earthquake, and my eyes became clouded by all of the colours that were passing them. I couldn't tell if it was just me, or if everyone else was experiencing this.

I blinked my eyes open just before icy cold water was dumped onto my face. Squealing indignantly, I leapt to my feet from where I had been lying on the ground. "What on earth was that for?" I shouted, flicking the water out of my eyes.

But my anger was quickly stifled. Everyone was staring at something behind me. I span around, and my breath caught in my throat.

There, standing on its hind legs with one paw extended was a little dog. Its fur was the lightest green and it had leaves and flowers entwined in its fur.

I took the smallest step back and almost tripped over, but was caught for a second time that day. "You're not fainting again." said Sirius firmly as he steadied me.

I managed a chuckle as I knelt down and shook the dog's paw. As soon as my hand met his fur, it was as if I had summoned another Nameless.

"Well done Miss Bennett!" Kettleburn praised as the rest of the class continued to look on in awe. The puppy threw itself at me, landing in my arms. I lifted its paw gently, and saw the blue of the male sign.

While others congratulated me, I noticed that there was one person who kept their distance; Lily.

The second group had a few more turns and they all had looks of immense determination on their faces. On their last turn a few sparks came out of Holly's wand, but that was all.

After telling us to practice often, the Professor led us back to the edge of the forest, and then left us to walk up to the castle. The sky was getting dark, so you could imagine my worry when my puppy jumped out of my arms and ran back into the forest.

"He'll be fine." snapped Lily when I started to fret. She proceeded to storm off. "What was that about?" Remus asked. Nobody knew.

When we got to the hall and parted ways with Holly, we were surprised not to see Lily there. "Maybe she wasn't hungry?" Mary piped as we reached the Gryffindor table.

I managed to eat a Sherbet Lemon from the bowl that always resided on the tables, but that was all.

I wasn't really hungry; it was because of a mix of nerves at what was wrong with Lily and the joy of getting a Nameless.

When the others had finished, I rose from the table and I was surprised to see Sirius come too. Remus and James were staying to help tutor Peter, and Mary had gone off to admire the Ravenclaw girl's Nameless.

Together Sirius and I strode up the stairs, chatting animatedly. "Shall we take a shortcut?" He asked, gesturing to a tapestry to his left. I had gotten used to the boys and their useful shortcuts, so I agreed. But I wish I hadn't.

For there, a few feet into the secret passage way, lit only by the lights of their abandoned wands, were Lily and Snape.

They didn't notice as we bolted back out of the passage.

Probably because all they noticed was each other.

Since they were kissing.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

I reversed out of that room as quickly as I could, with Sirius on my heels. We stood in silence for a moment, and if the look on my face was anything like his then I must have looked shocked, and slightly disgusted.

"Snape?" Sirius was the first to break the silence as we strode away from the tapestry of quickly as possible. "She'd rather have Snape than James? " I rubbed my temples as we leapt up the marble staircase, taking them two at a time. "I don't know what she wants anymore to be honest." I sighed as Sirius said the password and we entered the portrait hole.

Seeing as the common room was empty, we made a beeline for the chairs nearest to the fire, but somehow they didn't seem as comfortable as usual. "He was writing to her all summer." I said, feeling no need for words. "Did you know James wrote to her?" Sirius asked, lifting his head from his hands. "A few times. He wondered if the letters had gotten lost in the post."

Casting my mind back to the summer, I remembered a small amount of letters being cast into the bin on the day before school. "I don't think they did." I say, and he releases a heavy sigh.

"If James finds out he'll go insane." Sirius says, and I nod knowingly. I opened my mouth to speak again, but there was a squeak from the hinges of the portrait hole, and footsteps and voices echoed up the hole.

"Why didn't you come to dinner, Red?" James asked Lily as they came into view. "None of your business Potter!" snapped Lily, her eyes flaming, but cheeks slightly flushed. "Come on, tell me." James badgered, poking her shoulder and reminding me of a persistent toddler.

Lily let out a small scream and stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, muttering insults under her breath that I would have never expected to come from her mouth.

I raised my eyebrows at Sirius, and the gesture was returned. Sadly, James Potter's sharp eyes caught it, and he pounced on us. "Tell me why Lily's acting so strangely." He demanded, as I pushed past him to go after Lily.

I think it was the fastest I'd ever gone up the stairs, and when I pushed open the doors of our dorm, Lily was staring out the window. She spun around and glared at me. "Don't you know how to knock?"

My concern evaporated, and was replaced by anger. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I had to knock on the door of my own dormitory." She sneered, a sound I would usually associate with Snape, and the reason why I was here suddenly came rushing back to me. "I saw you today," I say vaguely, still standing in the doorway.

"Sadly, I saw you too." She snapped, trying to push past me. I stopped her easily. "What I mean is, I saw you and Snape."

The colour left her cheeks and she took a few steps back from me. "You can't tell anyone." She whispered, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "I haven't," I say, padding over to my bed. "But Sirius was with me."

All of the colour that was left in her face left, and she resembled one of the ghosts that haunted the school. "No." She said quietly as she stepped back and slid onto her bed, as if in a trance. "He'll tell James, and then James will... James will hurt him."

I snorted and gave her a withering look. "Somehow I seriously doubt that. Severus Snape knows more Dark Magic than the entire seventh year combined, and they're the only ones actually allowed to learn it."

The frightened look which had consumed her face disappeared and a low growl escaped from her mouth. I had never seen her like this before. "And so what if he does? What difference does that make to him as a person?" I bit back on the urge to tell her it made him a very untrustworthy person. "He's been a better friend to me than you've ever been."

Her harsh words washed over me like a bucket of ice cold water, and I rose from my bed. I could see a hint of regret in her eyes, but it was overpowered by rage. "It may not have occurred to you," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, "That you haven't been the best of friends to me either. But to be honest, I don't care anymore. I don't care at all."

Keeping my stride powerful and my chin strong, I left the dormitory and bolted down the stairs. I could see from the looks on the faces of my fellow Gryffindors that they had heard the raised voices. Sirius rose from his chair and looked as if he was going to say something, but I was already by the portrait hole.

As soon as I was out in the corridor, conflicting emotions awoke inside of me, the two main ones being hurt and anger. How could she have chosen him over me? I was the one who was always there for her, each and every day. Even when she was obsessing over Snape in the holidays. I had been the loyal one, never leaving her side. But all of that was about to change.  
>In my angry storm I had reached the marble staircase, and for once I was not in the mood to slide joyfully down the banister. I marched down the marble steps, my footsteps echoing off the walls and seeming much louder than they really were. It only hit me as I reached the great hall that I realised it was past curfew.<p>

The stars in the charmed ceiling sparkled more than I had ever seen them before, and it was such a pretty sight to behold that I stood hypnotised for a moment, my breath catching in my throat as a shooting star passed by.

I had always had a wish planned for a time like this, but for some reason I didn't even want to say anything now. I didn't even want to wish for me and Lily to be friends again, because I didn't want her back.

"Beautiful isn't it?" a voice came from behind me, and I broke out of my trance with a start. Sami Swift, the hufflepuff, was standing behind me with a small smile on her face. Somehow the little grin didn't hide the bags and the redness under her eyes which were illuminated by the moonlight.

I followed her over to the Hufflepuff table, where we slumped down onto two of the seats nearest to the door.

There was only the distant sound of other students in their common room, or a gust of wind as a ghost materialized somewhere close by. Sami seemed to be content with just gazing at the enchanted ceiling, and so was I. It relieved me from a little bit of my anger.

"I've fallen out with Mariah." Sami broke the silence first, tearing her gaze away from the sky to meet my eyes. Her bottom lip wobbled and I encased her in a hug, her tears falling onto the silky fabric of my robes.

"Why?" I asked softly, hoping it showed in my voice that she didn't have to tell me if she didn't want to. "She told Remus, she told him… that I like him." I gave a gasp of sympathy. "That's awful."

"I know," Sami said, "How could she have betrayed my trust like that?"

I exhaled. "These are questions that can't be answered." Sami nodded in agreement. "I know. Why are you down here then?" I hesitated for a moment. She had told me, I should tell her. "Lily and I had an argument, over Severus, also known as her new boyfriend."

"What?" Sami spluttered, surprised playing on her features. "I know." I nodded, thinking of his greasy hair and awful gaze. "I have no plans to apologize to her, and I don't care if she doesn't apologize to me to be honest. I've just had enough of Little Miss Perfect."


	8. Chapter Seven

_A/N: Longest chapter I've ever written, over 4,300 words! Hopefully you'll all enjoy it, but not all of the chapters will be as long as this. xD_

_Dedicated to my awesome buddy, Just. George. Thank you all for your reviews, especially Fleur, my amazing co-admin. 3_

I awoke the next morning without a care in the world. It was a shame that feeling only lasted for a moment. My memory was flooded with my argument with Lily, and then the talk with Sami. I took a deep breath and pushed myself up on my pillow. I would try not to think about it; it would only ruin my day.

By the looks of it, I was the first one up. I lazily clambered out of bed and stumbled towards the window. Peeking out of the curtains, I saw a hint of red on the horizon blinking out at me through the velvety black sky. I headed towards the bathroom, picking my uniform up on the way. I took my time with my daily routine; seeing as no-one else had awoken it should be quite early.

When I emerged from the bathroom, freshly cleaned and feeling bouncy, I noticed a stirring in the otherwise dark room. Instinctively, I reached for my wand, but I had left it on my bedside table. I needn't have worried however, since a split second later their wand lit up.

When I saw the auburn hair, I cursed myself for not realising it was _her_ bed. Making my way past her and picking up my wand I didn't say a word, and I didn't expect her to speak either. So just as I was by the door and planning to head down the breakfast, I was surprised.

"I'm sorry," Lily said, her eyes gazing at me through the light of her wand. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did." The breath caught in my throat for a moment, but I had my answer prepared. "You should have thought about that at the time." I said, my voice cutting the silence like a blade.

Her eyes were downcast as I opened the door and made my way down the staircase. Words were swirling in my head, put I pushed them to the furthest corner of my mind and opened the door to the common room.

The embers of last night's fire were still smoking in the fireplace, but other than that, nothing was stirring in the common room. I considered settling into one of the cosy armchairs and drifting off to sleep, but the fact that it was a school day kept me going.

I left the portrait hole and headed down to the great hall, and was pleasantly surprised to find Remus sitting at the table. However as I got closer to him I realised something was wrong. His skin was paler than ever, and I could see a fresh bandage on his hand. As he saw me looking, he pulled up the sleeve of his robe to cover the bandage.

"Good morning." I greeted Remus as I slipped into a seat opposite from him. He nodded at me in greeting, and slurped his cereal down. "Have you seen this?" he asked when he had swallowed, extending a copy of the daily prophet in his hand. I took it from him and my eyes fell on the headline.

'_NEW LAW CONFIRMS LOSS OF WORK FOR WEREWOLVES_

_The Ministry of Magic has today confirmed the passing of Law twenty six, part A seven B, which will mean less jobs are available for werewolves. Minister of Magic Milicent Bagnold has given a statement; "We all know that despite being magical creatures, werewolves are dangerous and a threat to society. Law 26A7B will prevent werewolves from having jobs that could result in harm for any member of the magical community." However many Wizards and Witches have spoken out about this law, some even protesting outside the Muggle entrance for the Ministry. Obviously this has caused some troubles for the Ministry but there are no reported cases of magic exposure.'_

I placed the paper on the table, fuming. "How dare they?" Remus was silent as I rambled on about human rights and other nonsense. Pretty soon, James, Peter and Sirius had trooped into the hall, laughing themselves hoarse as usual. Yet as soon as they saw the headline, their laughter was stifled. Sirius looked as if he wanted to murder someone, Peter was looking slightly confused and James was just gaping at the paper.

After we had had a heated discussion, we decided to head off to lessons. We had a lot of our base lessons today, which meant all of the Gryffindors were together. When we got to Transfiguration, Lily and Mary were standing outside. Mary gave me the dirtiest of looks as I approached, but Lily looked slightly uncomfortable standing next to her.

Despite being one of my favourite lessons, Transfiguration seemed to dart by. I hardly noticed when I changed my leaf into a rose. One thing I did notice though was the fact that Lily couldn't seem to change her leaf. It is with mixed feelings that I admit I was silently laughing at this.

At the end of the lesson, Professor McGonagall informed us that we had a room change for Defence Against the Dark Arts. There was an excited murmur at this; we had never had a room change before. So at the end of Transfiguration all of the Gryffindors trooped past our usual classroom and up to the sixth floor. There, waiting for us outside our classroom was our new teacher. She seemed quite young, and had deep brunette hair which reached down to her shoulders. "I trust you are my fifth year class?" She spoke with a slight German accent, and gave us a toothy smile as we arrived. "I am Professor Astrid Vetch, pleased to make your acquaintance. Come in."

We all followed the professor into the classroom and sank into desks. Obviously the teacher had been waiting a while for us because there was already writing on the blackboard.

_''Discussion: werewolf job rights.'_It read in a neat scrawl on the board. "Why do we have to do that?" Mary moaned. "Because discussions stimulate the brain." Professor Vetch smiled around the room.

"So," The teacher started, sitting herself on her desk and looking around at us all. "What are your opinions on this new law? Have we all read the main article in the daily prophet?" Some of the class shook their head, so the professor proceeded to read out the article from a copy she had on her desk.

"Werewolves are disgusting and vile creatures!" a stuck-up Hufflepuff shouted, to a murmur of agreement, "They should all be shot!"

There was a shout of rage and I turned around to see Sirius and James standing side by side, faces contorted with anger. "That's ridiculous!" James roared, making the Hufflepuff look a little anxious. "Werewolves can't help who they are; it's not as if they asked to be changed is it?"

"They're a threat to society!" the same Hufflepuff shrieked as he rose from his own seat. "They'd kill us all if they had their way!" "You can't know that." I said, flexing my fingers and crossing my arms. "Do you know a werewolf personally? I didn't think so." A small groan came from next to me, where Remus was sitting. At that moment in time, I didn't think much of it, but in the future I would know why.

This heated discussion carried on for about half an hour, with the professor sometimes made a note in her notepad. "Alright, that's enough." Professor Vetch finally stopped us, just as James seemed on the verge of strangling another student. "Next week we will be in our usual classroom, goodbye."

I was quite surprised at this, but as I checked my pocket-watch I realised I had been so caught up in the discussion to notice that it was already break.

I left the room alone, as it was Care of Magical Creatures next and there was something I had to do before the lesson. Leaving the castle, I hurried down the stairs and towards the ground keeper's hut where we always met Professor Kettleburn. I hid behind the hut so that anyone taking the path I had just taken wouldn't see me, and removed my wand.

I muttered the incantation and flicked my wand. Next moment, a small amount of sparks had flown out of the tip of my wand and were floating up into the air. It was nothing like when I had summoned my first Nameless, so I assumed it was only a first time thing.

I heard approaching padding, and then dashing out of the trees and into my arms came my earth dog. I realised I hadn't had a chance to look at him that well yesterday with the others, but now I could.

The little dog had golden coloured eyes, which seemed to see right into your soul. His fur, despite being a shade of light green, was silky to touch. The flowers that were entwined in this fur were many different shades of red, which made me think of tiny strawberries. It was the puppy licking my hand that made me remember why I had come here; to give him a name.

I knew that the species were called 'the Nameless' but did that really mean I couldn't give this adorable little creature a personal name? I smoothed down his already perfect fur and fussed him behind his ears.

Having always wanted a puppy of my own, I had a name planned. "Vaun," I smiled, and the dog looked at me. His body seemed to freeze; and then it shook. I let out a small scream, but before it had completely left my mouth, he had returned to normal. He held up his paw again, but this time to show me the underside.

This time, next to the blue male sign, there was the small name 'Vaun'. I hugged him to my chest, full of relief that he was okay. For the remainder of break, I played with Vaun, watching him leap and try to catch the autumn leaves that fell from the tree.

When Professor Kettleburn turned up, I asked her about naming Vaun and she said it was fine. "It's in section eight of the leaflet, darling." She smiled, stroking my dog's head. As the rest of the class joined us, I was met with a surprise.

Lily and Severus were walking hand in hand down from the castle towards us, hand in hand. Jason trailed behind them, seemingly oblivious to the advances of Mary. "We have this lesson with the Slytherins remember? One lesson with the Ravenclaws and one with the Slytherins." James hissed in my ear as he scowled in Snape's direction.

When the whole class had arrived we set off into forest just like yesterday. Though I refused to admit it, I was feeling quite alone without Lily by my side, informing me about one kind of berry or a leaf.

The professor started setting up some equipment, and left us on our own for a moment.

It was pretty obvious that since yesterday people had been practicing to get their Nameless. Most of the Slytherins had their wrist flicks perfected and my fellow Gryffindors were practicing the incantation in many different ways.

One notable Slytherin had a Nameless by her side, but it seemed that no one dared to go up to her, not even a Slytherin. The Nameless that sat tamely next to her on the grass looked similar to a wolf, but its large ears looked rather cat like. The creature's thick black fur seemed to emit some light form of smoke. It was its eyes that made me stare though; its left eye was a dark caramel like colour, but the other was a glistening ruby red that made me think of the Hogwarts Express.

With Vaun by my side, I decided to approach the Slytherin. But with every step I took my confidence seemed to slip. As I reached the tree which she was leaning against, she looked up from her book and looked at me through a pair of black glasses.

"Hello," I said quietly. "I'm Penny." At my introduction, she smiled at me and blinked. "I'm Georgia, it's nice to meet you." Her light tone surprised me, but in a good way. I returned her smile and sat down next to her, my Nameless greeting hers.

We watched as my small earth dog bounded around the tree with her large wolf. "She may seem a little stiff, but she's a puppy at heart," Georgia inclined her head towards her Nameless, smiling slightly. "What type is he? Or she?" I asked, as we watched the two play-fight. Georgia laughed. "She's a girl. I think she's fire based because of that smoke coming off her fur, but I'm not really sure to be honest." Georgia admitted, her hand on her chin.

As she said that, there came a flash from where our Nameless were playing, and when we could see through the blinding light, there was only Vaun there. I turned my head frantically to look for Georgia's Nameless, but there came a laugh from beside me, and I saw my new friend pointing up at a tree. There, surrounded by fire that didn't seem to affect the tree was her wolf sitting calmly on a branch.

"That's awesome!" I gasped, as her wolf leapt down onto her lap, the fire burnt out. "It's the first time I've seen it." She said, her eyes eager. We sat in awed silence for a moment, too impressed to speak.

"Do you think you're going to give her a name?" I asked, as Vaun padded onto my lap. "What do you mean?" Georgia turned to face me, obviously confused. "Well, the species is called the Nameless, but that doesn't mean you can't give yours a name, right? It'd get really confusing with everyone calling their Nameless all the time wouldn't it?" I said.

Georgia laughed and twisted her hand into her Nameless's fur. "That's true." She surveyed her Nameless for a second, looking into its eyes. "I think I'll call her Char. I really like that name."

I nodded appreciatively; it was a nice name. "What's yours called?" Georgia asked, reaching over and stroking my dog's head. "Oh, he's Vaun." I grinned.

There was a clap from the front of the clearing and the Professor's voice followed. "Right guys, I want you to get into pairs and practice the summoning charm for a starter." Just as I was about to ask Georgia to be my partner, someone had grabbed my collar and was pulling me away. I protested, but a moment later my cries were stifled as I looked as Jason. "What on earth are you playing at you idiot?" He hissed, looking back at Georgia, who couldn't hear us, and then to me. "What do you mean?" I frowned, crossing my arms as Vaun sniffed his legs.

"You didn't think she was eerily nice?" Jason continued to hiss, shaking my shoulders. It was only now that I realised she was strangely nice for a Slytherin. "She killed her sister."

It felt as if someone had poured cold water all over me; the shock was overwhelming. "Don't be ridiculous," I whispered, a slight stutter in my voice. "Oh, I'm being ridiculous am I?" Jason growled. "They played it all out as an accident, but it was pretty obvious she did it." I snorted, but I was still scared. "Now you're just being overdramatic."

Jason looked like he wanted to punch me. "Oh yeah? Her sister was always the better witch, always leaving Georgia in her shadow. Her sister was always good natured and the child all of the parents wanted, whilst Georgia was the moody one who you wouldn't want to cross. One day, when they went to this Muggle festival or something, Georgia took her sister into a hall of mirrors. Georgia, though only ten at the time, already knew more dark magic than the average fourth year. You can guess what happened next."

I raised my eyebrows. "Where did you read that, the Quibbler? I didn't think you were one to believe stories like that Tilsley. Why on earth would you care if I became friends with her anyway?" The memory of yesterday still lingered in my mind. He released his hands from my shoulders and let them drop at his sides. "Fine, be best buddies with a murderer, see if I give a damn."

Jason marched back into the clearing from where we had been lurking at the edge with me following him, only to find that everyone else was partnered up; even Georgia, with a reluctant looking Gryffindor.

I gave a small groan as we went back to the edge of the clearing to avoid being hit with an over excited wand flick. "You go first," I gestured for Jason to go as I leant against a tree. He looked sullen but removed his wand from his pocket and said the incantation loudly, his jaw set and his face determined. At once, dark grey sparks flew from the end of his wand to drift up into the air.

I must have looked as surprised as I felt as he gave me a triumphant look. "I got one yesterday," he sneered. An owl landed on his shoulder a moment later, one with white and yellow crackling feathers that seemed to emit electricity. "Lecra." He said her name calmly, and took an owl treat from his pocket.

But then there came a thundering of hooves from the forest, and my heart rate began to pulse. "Centaurs!" I tried to scream, but the breath caught in my throat.

Suddenly, one lone horse burst into our little area, coming to a halt in front of Jason at once. His body was light grey and his eyes were deep and scornful, which reminded me of Jason's. His mane and tail whipped around in the violent wind, though there wasn't even a breeze a moment ago.

He extended his hoof to Jason, who took it without hesitation. At once the wind died down, but his mane still raged. I had taken out the pamphlet and showed Jason. "Obviously wind, sometimes known as air. " I said, and Jason grinned, something I had never seen him do before.

"Okay, it's your turn now." Jason smirked as he leant against the same tree I had leant against, the owl still on his shoulder. I smiled slyly as I spun my wand in my fingers.

"_Venite Nomine_!" Red sparks flew from the end of my wand and took the same path Jason's sparks had taken moments before. Vaun, who had obviously been lurking somewhere near us, bounded out from between the foliage. "Did you have him yesterday?" Jason enquired. "Yeah," I smiled, scooping him up and patting his head.

Whilst Jason attempted to bond with his new Nameless, I took a peek out from between the trees at the others. I had to admit, I was quite shocked at the scene. Georgia, Jason and I had been the only ones to have a Nameless at the start of the lesson, but now it was common.

Most of the Slytherins had one, and the only Gryffindors who didn't seem to have one were Mary, Peter and Lily. I pulled my head back into our little area and watched as Jason petted his horse. I had to admit, I was a little disappointed at the abundance of Namelesses; I had liked being quite unique.

"Are you going to try again or what?"Jason sneered. "Not that you'd ever get anything." I sent my most unpleasant scowl in his direction and felt determination surge through my wand arm. "_Venite Nomine_!"

This time, the red sparks were joined by deep blue ones, which unlike the red ones, which floated towards Vaun, flew into the forest. There was a rumbling of hooves from deep in the forest, and the sound was quickly getting louder. Jason's horse suddenly took a few steps towards the forest, just as something charged through the bushes.

The thing that emerged just about freaked the life out of me. It was like there was a mirror between Jason's horse and my new nameless. They looked almost exactly the same; same grey coat, same white silky hair and same shining hooves. The only difference was that the new Nameless had blue eyes, and Jason's had green.

The Nameless I had summoned extended its paw to me, and I could see the female sign on the bottom of her paw. Eagerly, I shook it; my heart racing.

It was as I was gripping her hoof that Professor Kettleburn came to check on us. "Oh, another Nameless eh Penny?" She smiled, but then she saw Jason's almost identical horse and gasped. "Oh my lord! You two have a matching pair of Nameless!"

I frowned at her, and Jason did the same. It seemed neither of us had any idea what she was talking about. The professor rolled her eyes. "Check page eight of the leaflet I gave you yesterday." So I did.

_Matching Nameless_

_Like stated earlier in this leaflet, there is a male and female version of each Nameless. It is not uncommon for the male and female to be located close to one another. If the pairs of Nameless are local the owners of the pair of Nameless usually have some sort of connection, may it be friendly or even romantic. _

As soon as I read the last two words I started spluttering madly. Romance? With Jason? That was just ridiculous. But even as I thought of it, I remembered that brief encounter we had yesterday, and the heat rushed to my cheeks.

I didn't exchange a word with Jason for the rest of the lesson, and we quickly parted ways for lunch. I made my way over to the Sirius without my new Nameless and Vaun; they had already ran deep into the forest. "Hey," I said, "Where's the others?" Sirius smiled at me in greeting. "Oh, James, Remus and Peter are going to bond with their Nameless. I was quite surprised to be honest; it's unlike Peter to skip a meal."

I laughed as we walked up to the castle, chatting animatedly. We passed Snape and Lily on the way, who were hugging. The happy look that had been on Sirius's face disappeared and was replaced with a sour expression, and it didn't leave his gorgeous features until we were seated at the table.

"I hate him," Sirius said as I scooped some pineapple upside down cake onto my spoon. "Snape?" I asked, and Sirius nodded. "He's just so vile. Lily should date James." I sighed and set my spoon down. "I know I'm not friends with her Sirius; I don't care what she does. But whatever you think she should do, I don't think she will." The resigned look on Sirius's face told me that he knew that already.

We made our way down the double potions quite early, and we were greeted by an unpleasant sight. Or two unpleasant sights.

Snape was standing outside the door by the potions classroom, flanked by Jason who had his arms folded. "What have you done to Lily?" he snapped at me as soon as we were within speaking distance. "What have I done to Lily?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows. "I don't even want to be near her, what would make you think I'd have done anything to her?"

Snape growled and took a step towards me, and Sirius took a step towards him, hate all over his features. "Leave it Snivellus." He growled, and though Snape was an inch or two shorter than him, Snape didn't back down. Snape pushed Sirius away and turned to me. "Who needs you anyway?" He sneered, "You're pathetic, not good for anything."

"That's a bit rich coming from you." Sirius quipped before I had time to even open my mouth. It was this that pushed Snape over the edge, and he leapt at Sirius. Sirius pushed him away with ease, but Snape's arm flew out and hit me in the face, sending me flying down onto the floor with a bloody nose.

Sirius and Snape were still fighting, with Jason about to join Snape's side, when the door of the classroom shot open. Professor Slughorn was standing in the doorway with his wand extended in his arm. "That's enough!" He boomed, and the pair sprung apart.

He glared at both of them, then helped me to my feet. "Get off to the hospital wing Miss Bennett. You don't have to stay." Sirius looked as if he had something to say, but I had darted up the stairs from the dungeon already, pushing past Remus and James on my way.

I didn't go to the hospital wing, like the professor had told me to, instead I made my way up to the Gryffindor common room. They wouldn't expect me to come back for the rest of the lesson. Just as I had gotten in through the portrait hole, I saw a figure sat in an armchair. The figure looked up as I entered, and as soon as she stood up I knew from her height that it was Professor McGonagall; the only teacher who ever came into our common room.

"Miss Bennett?" She came over to me, noting my bloody nose. "Are you alright?" I nodded, but she could tell that I wasn't, and with a simple spell she fixed my nose. It sounded something like Episkey. "Sirius Black and Severus Snape were fighting, and one of them caught me with their fist," I explained as she nodded.

"You can stay here, just to recover," Professor McGonagall said kindly, "I'll sort out the boys." As she left, I headed up to my dormitory and slumped onto the bed.

What a day it had been. Rejecting an apology from Lily, getting another Nameless, having a possible 'connection' with Jason, ugh. Just thinking of it all made my head spin. I gave a deep breath, closed my eyes and addressed the ceiling.

"It can't get any more complicated can it?"


End file.
